Monthly Archives: May 2015

Young Legislators Program

On Saturday, May 30, 2015, Assemblymember Cristina Garcia’s Young Legislators Program was hosted at UCLA by State Government Relations unit. Garcia’s Young Legislators Program is a leadership program designed to expose high school students from the 58th Assembly District to the complexities of government, business, and education by sponsoring monthly visits to Los Angeles community partners. This month’s Young Legislators session at UCLA was the last for the 2015 class. This Fall, many of these young leaders will be attending several UC campuses and other California universities.

Their UCLA visit consisted of a hosted breakfast and lunch, a campus tour and a presentation from the UCLA Undergraduate Admissions department regarding best practices for succeeding in college. Continue reading →

$50 million for UC enrollment growth

Last week an historic agreement between Governor Brown and the University of California was announced — the May Revise shows the California 2015-2016 state budget will provide UC with significant new revenue while capping resident tuition at its current level for the next two years. This is great news, putting the University on a solid financial footing and establishing predictability and stability for UC, students, and families. However, it does not provide for more permanent and ongoing state investment to enroll additional California students at the University of California, which will be needed to meet future demand.

If it were not for the grants he was offered, Jose might not have chosen to go to UCLA or might have had to take on crippling student debt.

Jose Tapia is currently a fourth year undergraduate student who transferred to UCLA. His major is Political Science with a minor in Public Affairs. Growing up in South Los Angeles, Jose lived in a working class neighborhood. While a student at Lynwood High School, he began to consider pursuing higher education, deciding the best route for him was to attend community college. He received his associate’s degree in photography while fulfilling the requirements to transfer to a four-year university.

Breana aspires to disrupt the cycle of poverty, dismantling socio-economic class as a determinant for success.

Breana Weaver is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA who will graduate in June 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communication Studies. She was accepted into the prestigious Coro Fellowship for Public Policy and will begin the program in September. She has interned in UCLA’s Government Relations office for three years, advocating for higher education and taking part in meetings with UCLA’s chancellor, as well as elected officials and community partners in Los Angeles. Additionally, she has worked with the Liberty Hill Foundation and UCLA’s Bunche Center for African American Studies.

Without financial aid, Nico would not have been able to achieve his lifelong dream to graduate from UCLA.

Nico Gervasoni became a UCLA alumnus in winter 2015 when he completed his bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a concentration in American Politics and minor in English. A lifelong Southern Californian who grew up in Simi Valley and attended Royal High School, he was raised by parents who received both undergraduate and graduate degrees. For Nico, attending UCLA was a lifelong dream.

It wasn’t until Karizza’s older sister received grants and financial aid to attend UCLA that Karizza realized that she, too, could attend college.

Karizza McAlexander is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA, set to her receive her bachelor’s degree with a major in Nursing in June 2015. Since arriving from the Philippines in February 2000, Karizza moved often, but spent the majority of her life in the U.S. in a working class neighborhood in Long Beach, where she attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School.